A water reflection effect has been added back to the famous Phoenician scene on Spaceship Earth at EPCOT. The effect has been missing for several years, seemingly since the 2007/2008 update to the ride.

Effect Returns to Spaceship Earth

X user @FrankMakesStuff noticed the return of the effect and shared a video (embedded above). It comes on a landscape scene across from the main set piece of the Phoenicians section.

We hopped on Spaceship Earth to see the reflection for ourselves. The dark “water” below the mountains now appears to reflect light back from the tiny village.

According to a Cast Member, they simply added plastic that looks like moving water.

The scene originally had a miniature boat floating in the water, too, but this was also removed circa 2007/2008. Martins’s Videos included the mini boat, but not the water reflection, in his 2014 video of the 2007 version of Spaceship Earth, but both are missing from his 2017 video about the 2007 update. Since the water is across from the main scene at this part of the ride, most don’t pan to it during their POV videos.

Spaceship Earth was an opening-day attraction at EPCOT in 1982. The original version of the ride, narrated by Vic Perrin, lasted for only four years. It was updated and the new version, narrated by Walter Cronkite, operated for another eight years. 1994 brought another renovation and new narration from Jeremy Irons. It closed again in 2007 and officially reopened in 2008 with updates including Judi Dench as narrator.

With over a decade since the last reimagining, coupled with the 2017 departure of Siemens, Walt Disney Imagineering was ramping up for another round of changes to Spaceship Earth when the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. Spaceship Earth was originally scheduled to close for over two years beginning on May 26 to become Spaceship Earth: Our Shared Story. However, the major reimagining was delayed after the parks closed for three months due to the pandemic. The ride ultimately reopened with the rest of the park in July 2020. Despite rumors over the past few years that the reimagining would still happen, and concept art leaking in March 2022, Disney hasn’t made any official announcements regarding Spaceship Earth: Our Shared Story.

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The post ‘Thank the Phoenicians’ Water Reflection Effect Returns to Spaceship Earth Scene After Being Gone for 15 Years appeared first on WDW News Today.

Bob Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Company, has been in the news a lot lately.

©Disney

Iger recently garnered some attention when he commented on Disney’s “woke agenda“ and again when he confirmed his 2026 exit from the company. On top of this, he has also made headlines for making the decision to pull advertising from X (formerly Twitter). Now, Elon Musk, the owner of X, is firing back.

Recently, Musk endorsed a post with comments that were deemed anti-Semitic, causing a lot of backlash. As a result, Disney, along with Comcast/NBC Universal, Paramount Global, Warner Bros. Discovery, Apple, Lionsgate, and other companies pulled advertising from the site.

©Getty Images via The Hollywood Reporter

“I have a lot of respect for Elon and what he has accomplished,” said Iger, regarding his decision. “We know that Elon is larger than life in many respects, and that his name is very much connected to the companies he founded or owns. By him taking the position he took in a public manner, we felt that the association was not necessarily a positive one for us.”

©Apple

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Elon Musk has since commented on the mass exodus of advertisers, specifically addressing Iger. “Don’t advertise. If someone is going to try and blackmail me with advertising? Blackmail me with money? Go f**k yourself,” Musk said. “Go f**k yourself, is that clear? Hey Bob, if you’re in the audience. That’s how I feel, don’t advertise.”

©Getty Images via The Hollywood Reporter

While Musk has commented that he “should, in retrospect, not have replied to that particular post,” he also stated that he has “no problem being hated.” As for Iger’s future plans for advertising on X, he hasn’t decided. “I haven’t really addressed it since the decision was made,” he said.

©Reuters | Disney CEO Bob Iger

As always, stay tuned to DFB for all the latest Disney news.

Bob Iger Has Made Two Massive Changes at Disney

What do you think will happen with Disney advertisements on X? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Elon Musk Calls Out Disney CEO Bob Iger For Advertising Boycott on X first appeared on the disney food blog.

What’s the WORST park in Disney World?

Disney World

Everyone probably has a different opinion, depending on personal preference and experience. But when you put thousands of those opinions together, you can get a pretty clear picture of which park most people put in the last-place slot. So we went to Yelp to find the answer!

Disney World has four theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and EPCOT. There are also two water parks, tons of hotels, and a shopping and dining district called Disney Springs, but we’re just talking about those four theme parks right now.

Magic Kingdom is the most iconic park — it was the first Disney theme park in Florida, it’s home to Cinderella Castle, and there are lots of classic rides like Dumbo, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom

Animal Kingdom is where you’ll find Pandora: The World of Avatar, the Kilimanjaro Safaris ride, and some fun shows like Festival of the Lion King and Feathered Friends in Flight. It’s a great option if you want a more chill, relaxing day.

Animal Kingdom

EPCOT is known for seasonal festivals, which bring lots of great food to the booths around the park. It also has World Showcase, with 11 pavilions that represent different countries around the world. Plus, you can ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, which is a really awesome roller coaster.

EPCOT

A lot of visitors say that their favorite park is Hollywood Studios, since that’s where you’ll find Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Toy Story Land, and most of the biggest roller coasters in Disney World.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Hollywood Studios’ popularity is why we were SHOCKED to find out that this is actually the WORST-reviewed ride in Disney World on Yelp!

WORST: Disney’s Hollywood Studios — 3.7 Stars

Of all the four theme parks, Hollywood Studios had the LOWEST rating, with 3.7 stars. Some of the reasons why people ranked it this low were high wait times, rides that break down frequently, and big crowds.

©Yelp

Tom said, “Early admission day today on a Saturday at the Hollywood studio [sic] and the top four rides are broken down. It’s getting to be an old circumstance now as this happens continuously at the Disney parks.” We agree that it’s definitely a bummer when you arrive at a park on time only to find that several of the rides are unavailable.

Rise of the Resistance Entrance

Phil said that Hollywood Studios is “the worst Disney park. It’s tiny and always overcrowded. The rides are limited only having and [sic] small handful in the park, and they are often broke.” Hollywood Studios rides tend to have very long lines, as there are fewer options in the park and lots of them are popular. Some of these popular rides — like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance — are definitely prone to breaking down frequently.

Rise of the Resistance

For that reason, we recommend purchasing Genie+ at Hollywood Studios. Being able to skip the lines in this park is HUGE when there are so many long wait times.

Slinky Dog Dash

Karla gave Hollywood Studios a 5-star review: “Haven’t been in YEARS. Came for my boyfriend’s milestone birthday because he’s a Star Wars nerd. Galaxy’s Edge is out-of-this-world! We were able to do everything we wanted to from specific rides to making light sabers and everything in between.”

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

Planning ahead and prioritizing your must-do attractions is especially important at Hollywood Studios so that you’re able to spend your time wisely and not miss out on the best things.

Click here for a FULL GUIDE to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

3rd: Magic Kingdom — 3.9 Stars

The next-to-worst park according to Yelp is another surprise: Magic Kingdom with 3.9 stars. Magic Kingdom also had the most reviews of any of the parks, but not by much — it only had about 100 more reviews than EPCOT (which scored higher).

©Yelp

The reviews for Magic Kingdom were a mixed bag. Brian had a horrible experience, calling the park a “total scam.” His main complaints were that Genie+ costs extra and the TRON virtual queue is difficult to use. Before you visit Magic Kingdom, make sure to read up on virtual queues — some of them fill up FAST, and it can definitely be a surprise and a disappointment to miss your chance to ride one of those popular coasters.

TRON Lightcycle / Run

Randy visited Magic Kingdom for one hour and then left straight away. He said, “Traveled a long distance to find Space Mountain, Jungle Cruise, Pirates, and Haunted Mansion and People Mover all closed the day we arrived to the park.” Like Hollywood Studios, ride closures frequently plague Magic Kingdom. Usually, the closures only last a couple of hours, so make sure to keep checking the My Disney Experience app for updates! However, it’s not unheard of for some attractions to be closed all day.

Peter Pan’s Flight

Other guests love Magic Kingdom, especially for its nostalgia factor. Thomas said, “As an annual pass holder I am a frequent visitor to all of the Disney parks. Magic Kingdom was my first ever Disney experience so it will always be that special place.” Thomas also enjoyed the new TRON Lightcycle / Run coaster: “I had the chance to ride on TRON recently, and must say it was one of the best rides I’ve experienced out of all the parks.”

Magic Kingdom Entrance

Arelys also had a good experience at Magic Kingdom: “I had the chance to visit Magic Kingdom with my friend and it was an experience like no other! This huge park is stunningly beautiful, with the giant castle taking center stage as its main attraction. It’s so big that seeing everything in one day is nearly impossible. There are some thrilling roller coasters and countless other entertaining activities. The food throughout the park is really good too. But the highlight for me was the fireworks show at night – it’s absolutely the best and creates a unique experience you won’t forget.”

Magic Kingdom fireworks

The most important thing you can do to make your experience more like Thomas’ and Arelys’ is to plan ahead! Make a list of your priorities, learn about Genie+ and virtual queues, be at the park EARLY (before it opens), and make a Plan B in case any unavoidable issues (like ride closures) come up.

Click here to read our FULL GUIDE to Magic Kingdom.

2nd: Disney’s Animal Kingdom — 4.1 Stars

The second-highest-rated Disney World theme park is Animal Kingdom, with 4.1 stars!

©Yelp

We’d say that Animal Kingdom is the chillest park in Disney World. It’s usually less crowded than the other parks, and the atmosphere is more relaxing.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Maggie gave the park a 5-star review: “We only checked out 2 Avatar rides and a water raft ride. Everything went as it should. We also enjoyed a nice meal at Tiffins. In about 5 hours, we saw what we wanted to see. That wasn’t too much of the park, but EPCOT was prioritized on this trip. I’ve always liked this park and I’d like to spend more time there in the future.”

Pandora

Codie agreed that Animal Kingdom is a great park: “I went as an adult last August and this past September and I have to say Animal Kingdom is hands down my favorite park! From the avatar rides and area, the amazing animal safari, and all the other wild things AK had to offer! I tend to find my favorite pins and souvenirs at this park as well! Also glad I got to see dynoland [sic] before it is no more! Can’t wait to see the transformation.”

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Even though it got pretty positive reviews for the most part, some reviewers still had negative things to say about the park. Davina said, “To say, it’s heartbreaking that it’s not the same is an understatement. Today, had to have been one of the worst days & money spent on a theme park. Animal Kingdom used to be our go to for a ‘not so fast pace’ a lively, be in the moment park.” Davina’s experience was a 4-hour wait on Avatar: Flight of Passage and a 2-hour wait on Navi River Journey, both of which are in Pandora: The World of Avatar.

End of the line for Flight of Passage

The rides in Pandora are some of the most popular in the park, and most people head straight there when the park opens. If you want to avoid the crowds at rope drop, you can purchase a Lightning Lane for Flight of Passage.

Click here to read our FULL GUIDE to Animal Kingdom.

BEST: EPCOT — 4.2 Stars

EPCOT won the best-rated Disney World park according to Yelp reviews! It had 4.2 stars with over 2,600 reviews.

©Yelp

So what is it that made EPCOT stand out to reviewers? Many people mentioned the seasonal festivals, which bring lots of tasty food and drinks, fun entertainment, and unique activities to the park.

2023 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays

Linda said, “Another thing that I remember about EPCOT was the different representations of countries. This was a favorite back then and was still amazing on our last visit.”

Morocco Pavilion

One of the complaints about EPCOT is that the park is very big, so it can take a long time (and a LOT of walking) to get all the way around World Showcase.

World Showcase

We recommend planning your Disney World vacation during a time when a festival is going on so that you can enjoy all of those offerings. And make sure you learn about the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind virtual queue before you visit so that you’re able to ride that coaster! Another option is to purchase an individual Lightning Lane instead.

Click here to read our FULL GUIDE to EPCOT.

Stay tuned to DFB for more updates on all the latest Disney news!

We stayed at the worst-rated Disney World hotel on Yelp.

Which Disney World theme park would you rate the best? Let us know in the comments.

The post The Worst-Rated Disney World Park on Yelp Will SHOCK You first appeared on the disney food blog.